In the year of 1912, in the small city of Piltdown, a man named Dawson made what seemed to be an amazing discovery. He was considered an amateur archaeologist in the scientific world but was digging through some rubble one day and found what was believed to be the oldest "Human" in England.
Once Dawson made this proclamation, he invited Woodward a leading Archaeologist to assist in this investigation. Then more well known scientists joined the investigation in hopes to be a part of what could be the biggest discovery in connecting the ancestors of the chimpanzee and apes to the Human.
Arthur Keith was very supportive in this discovery because it supported his version of evolution. He believed the human "Big brain" occurred prior to the upright walking. Which is the opposite of what is believed and supported today.
Hinton was a young volunteer Biologist. He also had a hand in this investigation and possibly assisted in creating the fake Primitive Human. He was desperate to make a name for himself in the Scientific World.
People did not want to question this discovery because of the involvement of Woodward. He was very well respected in the science field. People did however question it behind closed doors.
This discovery was believed to be over a million years old. Might even be the oldest in the world. The skull structure was possessing a animal like jaw with human like teeth.
Forty years had past, it was decided to once again test the Piltdown Man's skull. There was a new chemical system in place that can help put a time on the age of the skull. The new technology showed the skull was of an earlier age. Possibly only 100 years old. The skull was made up of a female chimpanzee with filed down teeth. The bones were stained to appear to be extremely aged.
Obviously the members of the scientific community was appalled. They couldn't believe someone would falsely make such a huge significant discovery. This influenced other scientists because now they were trying to make comparison discoveries believing this was what they were searching for in order to find the connection in their own findings.
When Scientists are worried about making a name for themselves or looking for Scientific prestige unfortunately some are willing to sacrifice truth, integrity and any form of ethics. This can put science into a holding pattern or reproduce inaccurate information. This can make other scientist try to achieve something that doesn't exist and waste a lot of valuable time.
Scientists are continually trying to become more accurate with the information provided on artifacts and fossils. It was extremely beneficial that throughout time they continually tried to answer "How old is the Piltdown Man?" The new technology was used to create a more accurate depiction of age on the skull. It was discovered the skull was fairly new and not of the ancestor of the ape and man.
What can we do to eliminate the human factor in the scientific methods to ensure this type of false information does not happen again? Nothing. It is humans curiosity that makes science discoveries grow. Accessing and using critical thinking is how the information is discovered. So without "human" factor science would be stagnant.
What can we learn from this discovery? Keep questioning, keep testing, challenging and discovering. One great man's word cannot be taken for fact, it takes some form of a Scientific Method to ensure the information provided is validated.
Evening Blair,
ReplyDeleteI really like how many of us seem to be in agreeance over the human factor-- how even though it can be detrimental, like in this case, it's still very necessary. Curiosity drives us to all kinds of discoveries! There's reasons why the scientific method is so important-- a hoax of this scale being the perfect example of why.
I liked how you made sure that you knew what you were talking about with this topic. It was well phrased and you did your research. nicely done
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed how your synopsis focused on those involved in the hoax, explaining how each was involved and why they took an interest. The only correction was with regard to this statement:
ReplyDelete" Then more well known scientists joined the investigation in hopes to be a part of what could be the biggest discovery in connecting the ancestors of the chimpanzee and apes to the Human."
The connection between humans and non-human apes (since humans ARE apes) was not really in question by this point. This is essentially saying 'missing link' without actually using the words themselves. The scientists of that time were interested in uncovering evidence of how humans evolved from that common ancestor with other primates. The actual significance of this find is discussed in your post in relation to Arthur Keith. Piltdown, had it been valid, would have supported his favorite theory that humans developed larger brains early in their evolution, before hominid dentition and possibly before bipedalism. This helps to explain *how* (not *if*) humans evolved.
Good discussion of faults. I agree that ambition (which is what you are describing likely played a role in creating this hoax. Greed is another possible motivator. Other than the culprits, can you find fault with anyone else? How about the scientific community? Why did they accept this find so readily without proper scrutiny? What might have inspired them (particularly the British scientists) to not do their jobs properly when it came to this particular fossil?
"Scientists are continually trying to become more accurate with the information provided on artifacts and fossils."
Yes, well said. An additional piece of necessary information is that scientists are driven to do this by new evidence, in this case, new fossil finds that appeared to contradict Piltdown. In light of new evidence, old conclusions must be reexamined.
It would have been appropriate to explain and describe the new technology (and the scientist who ran the analysis) responsible for producing the evidence of the hoax.
"It is humans curiosity that makes science discoveries grow. "
Perfect. You can't get rid of the bad without losing the good of humans as well.
Good life lesson.
Most of our blogs, including yours, all agree when it comes to the human factor. I think as humans we are very curious beings and our minds wander without even trying were always learning new things. What Robin said at the end of her comment I agree completely. So many reasons why the scientific method is so important and the hoax is definitely a great example of it.
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